Hamdy Abdelwahab accepts 6-month sanction for failed drug test

Hamdy Abdelwahab | Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC

Hamdy Abdelwahab just received another drug suspension.

On Wednesday, UFC’s anti-doping program announced Abdelwahab has accepted a six-month sanction for exogenous testosterone relating to multiple samples taken this year.

Combat Sports Anti-Doping (CSAD) revealed Abdelwahab failed three separate tests this year on March 23, May 3, and May 23. However, since Abdelwahab was not informed of the first failure, and the third failure was deemed to be a product of residual amounts, all three incidents were treated as one violation.

This is not the first issue Abdelwahab has had with drug testing. In 2022, the Egyptian fighter received a two-year ban from USADA for testing positive for the anabolic agent metenolone and its metabolite in two drug screenings ahead of his UFC debut, along with a tampering violation for failing to disclose his banned substance prior to joining the USADA program.

In contrast to his 2022 failure, after being notified of his failure, Abdelwahab was able to provide evidence of a tainted dietary supplement. Normally this would result in only a three-month suspension, however since he was still under suspension from his 2022 violation at the time, the sanction doubled to six months.

Abdelwahab’s previous suspension ended on July 30, however his new suspension now means “The Hammer” will now be ineligible to compete until Jan. 30, 2025.